137 – B.N. Ladies – Tuesday, July 30, 2013 – Prospect Park Bandshell – Brooklyn, NY

My first Barenaked Ladies concert was way better than expected.  Here are some reasons why: 

--- Frontman Ed Robertson had talent.  It was like listening to a professional guitarist, vocalist, and standup comedian all in one.

--- “Did I Say That Out Loud” had great lyrics: “I don't know what's got a hold of me: not alcohol, not alchemy, [it’s] greater than gravity.”

--- “Pinch Me” was soothing, as was “Lovers in a Dangerous Time,” the first song they ever released. 

--- Ed Robertson’s voice was so clear.  This clarity helped him even more whenever he rapped.  My frustration at every rap show I’ve been to so far has been how many words get lost live.  This never happened with Robertson, not during “One Week,” his impromptu Brooklyn rap, or the “Big Bang Theory Theme Song.”  (The full theme song, by the way, is way longer than it is in the show.)

--- So many funny lines: “It is great to be in the fabled land of Brooklyn.  I'm always seeing you in trendy shows with your handmade cutlery…I must pause and do the Sound of Music test on this piano…This entire stage seems drenched in hamburger whiff…I had a nerdgasm last week when Stephen Hawking quoted us! ”

--- My only regret was that I did not know songs like “Gonna Walk,” “Keepin’ It Real,” and “Odds Are” as well as I should have, but I can correct that next show.

--- They performed “Brian Wilson” at almost 9:30 on a Tuesday night – which is an exact line from the song!

--- “If I Had A Million Dollars” featured Ben Folds and a funk-out finale.  The best part was the guy in the row behind me, singing every line, shouting how he was back to being a senior in high school – he was back to 1999!

--- One super-size song in the encore incorporated “Trouble,” “Thrift Shop,” “Scream and Shout,” “Titanium,” and “Blinded by the Light.”  They played all this while literally batting monkeys and other stage props back and forth with their guitars?!  Early on in the show, Robertson said that his fellow guitarist “put the pro in Prospect Park.”  After listening to the encore, I’d say that applied to the whole band…  

Grade: A- 

136 – Ben Folds Five – Tuesday, July 30, 2013 – Prospect Park Bandshell – Brooklyn, NY

This concert, which brought together Guster, Ben Folds Five, and Barenaked Ladies, showed the limits of any opening band.  At their solo concerts, Ben Folds Five have proven themselves outstanding performers.  I have left their concerts feeling moved my by their music, entertained by their antics, and energized by their rabid fanbase. 

The problem for Ben Folds Five at this Brooklyn show, though, was that they were an opening band.  It seemed like a lot of the crowd did not know them or did not come to the show primarily for them.  They also had little time to build up rapport between songs because they were restricted to such short sets.  This “Opening Band Problem” is nothing new.  Modest Mouse and The President of the United States of America were actually better than the main band and better than they were on the albums, but every other opening band I’ve been to has not worked.  They always seem destined to be second best.  What made Ben Folds Five’s failure different was they put on a grade-A concert last time!

Opening band issues were compounded by the fact that the crowd was terrible, and they played too many lackluster new songs.

All that said, Ben Folds Five did not earn the D+ Guster did.  It had three main advantages:

1.  I was physically present inside the venue the entire time.  That’s always important.

2.  They played four classic songs I had never heard live before: “Brick,” “Army,” “Fred Jones Part 2,” and “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces.”               

3.  They had a bra wreath!  For “Here Come The Bras,” they brought out this elaborate, stage-size mega-wreath composed entirely of bras!!  They kept themselves surrounded by these bras for the rest of the set, and blamed the whole thing on the main band: “Thank you, Barenaked Ladies, for this tour, and for displaying all your conquests on stage…”

Grade: B-             
 

135 – Guster – Tuesday, July 30, 2013 – Prospect Park Bandshell – Brooklyn, NY

This concert, which brought together Guster, Ben Folds Five, and Barenaked Ladies, showed the limits of any opening band.  At their solo concerts, Guster have proven themselves outstanding performers.  I have left their concerts feeling moved my by their music, entertained by their antics, and energized by their rabid fanbase. 

The problem for Guster at this Brooklyn show, though, was that they were an opening band.  It seemed like a lot of the crowd did not know them or did not come to the show primarily for them.  They also had little time to build up rapport between songs because they were restricted to such short sets.  This “Opening Band Problem” is nothing new.  Modest Mouse and The President of the United States of America were actually better than the main band and better than they were on the albums, but every other opening band I’ve been to has not worked.  They always seem destined to be second best.  What made Guster’s failure different was they put on a grade-A concert last time!

Opening band issues were compounded by the fact that I heard 3/4 of the show from outside the arena!  Prospect Park Bandshell made the bizarre decision to only open one entrance for their 7,000-person venue.  So everyone walked to the entrance…to find they had to take a single-file line fifteen minutes in the other direction!  “Come Downstairs and Say Hello” is a deeply moving song; it’s less so when it’s barely audible four football fields away!  Oh well, I’ll have to find solace in the fact that they played “Barrel of a Gun” for the first time in a while, “This Could All Be Yours” is still unstoppable, and they will be much better next time I see them.

Grade: D+

 

134 – Beyonce – Thursday, July 25, 2013 – Wells Fargo Arena – Philadelphia, PA

If you love listening to Beyonce, you would love this Philadelphia show.  Even if you’re like me, though, someone who has a strong bias against R+B dance tracks, I think you’d still enjoy the show.  Beyonce’s voice, her song selection, her stage production, and the high-energy full-capacity crowd made it hard for anyone not to have a good time.
   
Here are some highlights:

--- Whoa, the first song is starting with POUNDING.  She’s coming out as an ice queen on a castle background as the arena SHAKES.  Is this Pantera or Metallica?  That's seriously what the intro music sounds like.  Oooh, here comes the firrrre – laced with white!  All she does is shimmy her shoulders, and it feels electric.  When she starts singing the first song, “Girls,” it’s a solid call-and-response, but the spectacle was by far the best part.

--- “My first [solo arena] tour: I've dreamed of this since I've been a little girl….This is my favorite part of the show because I get to hear you all sing.”  Awww. 

--- “A little sweat never hurt nobody / get me bodied” – clever.  I like this line as well: “We got the swag sauce / she drippin' Swagu.”  The way she says “a di-va is a female version of a hust-la” never fails. 

--- Oh god, not the Sean Paul one – i.e. “Baby Boy.”  At least it has an unknown Arabian vibe to it – and the background dancers seem to multiply each verse!

--- I do not in fact have my “Freakum Dress” on, but thanks to the visual and beat, I find it the most exciting song so far.

--- I like how short the songs are; it allows for a lot of variety.  I love how everyone at the show seems to know every word of everything.

--- The best mood track so far is “1 + 1”: emphatic piano, mega wind machine, cooing interlude, and whoa, she just flew across the arena!!

--- She clearly thought a lot about song order.  Each of the final six songs build on each other: “Irreplaceable,” “Love on Top,” “Survivor,” “Crazy,” and “Single Ladies.”  Love the huge kaleidoscopes and cloud cannons during “Crazy.” 

--- Final surprise, during the encore: Jay-Z jumps up on stage!  She had no clue!

Grade: A-

133 -- Bruno Mars -- Wednesday, June 26, 2013 -- TD Garden -- Boston, MA

Bruno Mars’ brand of pop is not necessarily my favorite type of music.  His live performances could also use more ad libbing, moments where he makes specific connections with specific songs.

That said, there was very little to criticize about Bruno Mars' Boston performance, and everyone in the arena (including me) seemed to have a good time.  His energy, his vocal ability, and the production values were all remarkably strong.

Some live reactions:

--- Pounding drums, a huge green parrot, a huge forest backdrop, the first word of the song being ‘hello’...“Welcome to the Moonshine Jungle” indeed. 

--- Saying "Natalllllie" is surprisingly fun – as is the random explosion at the end.  

--- The vendor will not sell me a large pink lemonade even though the large cups are RIGHT THERE in the cabinet.  I tell him, “I’m not trying to be difficult; I’m genuinely curious why they can’t be used.”  “Honestly,” the guy said, “I don’t know.  I just know all of them are banned.”  So strange.  Did Mike Bloomberg become mayor of Boston?!

--- “Runaway” is awesome – especially with the sirens and megaphones.  Only thing missing is a duet with Joshua Ledet!   

 
--- “Young Girls” is a nice, tender change of pace.  Aww, the woman next to me is singing along.

--- The intro to “Treasure:” “This is time to put down your camera phones and DANCE.”  HA!  Guilty as charged.

--- I officially decide to stop multitasking.  Don't want to miss anything.  The show has gotten GOOD.

--- Wow, it wasn’t on his two albums, so I completely forgot about “Billionaire.”  Such a good song.  Wish Travie McCoy’s rap section was in there, but the Chuck Berry intro (Bruno B. Goode?) and the full-arena ending more than makes up for it. By far the best so far.

--- Can’t remember if this is the reggae “Show Me” or the reggae “Liquor Store Blues.”  Not a fan of either.

--- “Marry You” remains happy and catchy as ever.  Shocked he did not mention today’s Supreme Court decision.  Come on, Bruno, don’t do such a canned show.  Adapt! 

--- Shows his crazy good falsetto in “If I Knew.”  Nice intro as well: “My first album was called Doo-Wops and Hooligans  because I love old school music, and it's very important I stay true to that.”

--- Then a series of strange things happen.  First, he invites this girl to come on stage and dance with him.  Next, he calls her Natalie, like in the song.  Then, he has most of the rest of the band randomly mack on her?!  Finally, the strangest part, she never even comes on stage!  At least we get one of the band member's poems out of it: “Roses are red, violets are purple, as long as I'm with you, I'll never hurt you.”  Lol.  Reminds me of my brilliant second-grade effort: “Chocolate is brown / vanilla is white; I’d take you any day over a bottle of Sprite.”  Ms. McDaid may not have liked it, but that woman was awful.  Don’t believe me?  Her reaction to the poem: “Well, Colin, poetry is not for everyone.”  Neither, apparently, is teaching…

--- Intro to "When I Was Your Man": “This is the hardest song I’ve ever had to write.”  What a vocal.

--- “Grenade” is a good attempt at darkness.  The scary piano intro, cool trumpet middle, and extended guitar ending all show chops.

 
--- “Just The Way You Rrrrrrrr.”  Still no Supreme Court?!  The vocal acrobatic remix at the end makes up for it.

--- Encore.  What dubstep ridiculousness is this?  Wow, he's full on playing drums -- nice.  “Locked Out Of Heaven” can swagger AND soar.  Gold confetti!

--- Lol, “Gorilla” features so many explosions – and green gorillas!  Not sure how I feel about the awkward acapella section.  Totally sure how I feel about discussing the physical double entendres on stage -- moving right along…

Grade: A-

131 / 132 -- Grizzly Bear / The XX -- Sunday, June 16, 2013 -- Merriweather Post Pavilion -- Columbia, MD

GRIZZLY BEAR:

I thought an iPhone could guide me through any concert.  At every show since getting one, I’ve been able to grab a few lyrics, Google them, and refresh my memory for what song the band is currently playing.  With Grizzly Bear, this should have been especially easy since I had heard their albums multiple times before.  Time and time again, though, I found it impossible to latch onto anything.  I kept getting left with flickering lights and incoherent mumbling.  Smashing Pumpkins and Passion Pit have shown that flickering lights and incoherent mumbling are not automatically negative.  When you can’t identify memorable rhythms either, though, and the only phrase you can identify is “all your useless pretensions,” it’s a problem.

Grizzly Bear was saved from a failing grade by frontman Edward Droste.  He at least made an attempt to talk with the crowd, and his no-frills wardrobe was amusing.  A blue smock borrowed from art class?  Jeans used to repaint the second bedroom?  Droste’s biggest saving grace was the final song, “Sun is in Your Eyes.”  It had a warm rhythm, poetic lyrics, and was way more satisfying than anything that had come before it.  To paraphrase its final verse, I’ll never be coming back to another Grizzly Bear concert, but it was nice to end on something so bright.                   

Grade: D+

THE XX:

The XX proved what I said in the Grizzly Bear review: incoherent mumbling is not automatically a negative.  If a band has strong stage presence and memorable instrumentals, as the XX did, the mumbling can actually add mystery.  Flickering gray lasers, a blue light show, and a strangely sensual guitar duel added to the eeriness.  The best song of the set was “Sunset,” which featured a solid slow-down ending and this spooky line: “It felt like you really knew me, but now you see right through me.”

Can’t say I’ll be the first to grab XX’s next album, but if they were playing with another band I liked or were part of a festival, I’d be down for another show.

Grade: B

130 – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Saturday, June 1, 2013 – Penn’s Landing / Festival Pier – Philadelphia, PA

Macklemore changed the way I look at rap.  I had always thought that rap’s intense focus on language would make it a perfect genre for me, and I had heard flashes of brilliance before: “Jesus Walks,” “The Prayer,” “Lose Yourself,” etc.  All too often, though, I found myself bogged down by overused curses, minority-bashing slurs, and topics I could not quite relate to.  (Hard as it may be to believe, I do not regularly encounter blood-crip drive-bys on my way to work.  I’d admit to having at least 99 problems, but a habitual need to trash women is not one of them.)   

Macklemore changed all that by offering songs of conscience (“Wings,” “Other Side”), songs of compassion (“Same Love,” “Starting Over”), and songs that made me start dancing...and not feel gross at the end (“Thrift Shop,” “B Boy”).  His attention to detail in the lyrics and Ryan Lewis’ attention to detail in the videos enhanced the style and substance of each song.  As with Bruce Springsteen, the songs felt not just exciting, but urgent – these were about real people and real issues.  Three tracks on his first album, “I Said Hey,” “Contradiction,” and “White Privilege” even address all of my prior rap issues!  (I.E. Overused curses, minority-bashing slurs, and socioeconomic rifts.)  If you’ve only heard The Heist, I strongly recommend these off Language of My World.

One thing I would not recommend is going to a show in THOUSAND DEGREE HEAT.  The temperature at the venue, the fact that I had to walk three miles down this godforsaken pier to get there, and the fact that the acoustics were not very good when I got there did not make this the best Macklemore show. 

Despite these challenges, Macklemore (AKA Ben Haggerty) did everything he possibly could to pump the crowd up.  He bounced up and down on the stage, crowd surfed off the stage, enunciated every syllable to make up for the acoustics, checked section by section how ready the crowd was for “Can’t Hold Us,” and covered his hot Sean Kemp jersey with an even hotter fur coat! 

He also had enough memorable lines to make Dave Grohl jealous: “Wow, we’re excited to be here.  Just flew in directly from Egypt!  [Shocked applause]  Nah, we just came from Seattle.  Philadelphia, welcome to my Heist…This is the biggest civil rights issue of our generation.  Finally we're starting to have a conversation.  No one can choose who they love, but we can all choose to accept the love everyone’s given… Nothing better than seeing thousands of people come out in 90-degree weather with this humidity…Your boy just got heat stroke!...[As an intro to ‘White Walls’]: Philly, we like you so much that after the show, we’re inviting you to our 1990 Cadillac Deville.  It’s got full A/C, loads of Capri Sun, and a TAPE DECK.” 

Quotes like those make me count the days till I can hear him, as a headliner, at the 9:30 Club.  Even if I only have twenty dollars in my pocket, I’ll be there.

Grade: B+